Shout!'s 15-disc set is an 'unlimited' release to replace the collectible-but-limited 'Matrix of Leadership Edition: Collector’s Set'

Posted by David Lambert

2/16/2011

We've brought you lots of news recently about the Transformers franchise, as Shout! Factory is preparing releases of Beast Wars and of the so-called "Takara Collection" (Japan-only continuations of "generation one" in the form of three shows titled The Headmasters, Masterforce and Victory). But we've also got other Transformers news for you, which concerns the studio's continuing plans for the original "G1" series.

In 2009 Shout! Factory released The Transformers - 25th Anniversary Matrix of Leadership Edition: Collector’s Set, a limited-edition package with 16 discs, including some bonus material which was exclusive to it (such as a Voice Cast Reunion, certain Retrospective Featurettes, etc.). The studio followed that up with individual sets of "The Complete 1st Season," "Season 2, Volume 1," "Season 2, Volume 2" and "Seasons 3 & 4"; each of these have been sold separately and - minus the bonus material that was exclusive to the big Matrix of Leadership package, came to 15 discs. Those season sets are still available, but fans have noticed that the big collection is getting harder and harder to find; it's sold out at the Shout! studio store, and many retailers such as Amazon.com are also out of stock on this title.

Today Shout! has announced that they will collect the 15 DVDs from the season sets into a new package titled "The Transformers - The Complete Original Series," an "unlimited" general retail release which will become available starting May 24th. It will include all on-disc content from those four separate packages (including the bonus material, but it will NOT have the extras which were exclusive to the Matrix of Leadership set; sorry). Pricing has not been revealed yet, but we do have a look at the box art for you below. Could this foil packaging be a hint of the style we might see for Beast Wars and Takara? We guess only time will tell for sure!

Oh, and for anybody wondering if those original "G1" episodes are coming out to Blu-ray Disc format anytime soon, that very same question was asked earlier today on Twitter by "Starscream1017"; the reply tweet from @ShoutFactory was "No word at this time, but you never know..." Stay tuned for updates, of course, about any or all of this.

UPDATE (2/17): One of the biggest questions our readers have been asking about this new release was about the pricing, and whether it would be similar to the $169 SRP price tag Shout! had on the previous limited-edition "Transformers - 25th Anniversary Matrix of Leadership Edition: Collector’s Set." If you were hoping for a lower price, then you're in luck! Amazon.com has just begun selling the new Transformers - The Complete Original Series 15-DVD set, and you can pre-order your copy using the button link below. The list price is $99.99 SRP, and at the time of this writing Amazon is discounting it all the way down to $69.99...nice!